


You

by HiddenEye



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Cuddles, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Season/Series 03 Spoilers, Slight fluff, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-08-06
Packaged: 2018-12-11 18:21:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11719920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HiddenEye/pseuds/HiddenEye
Summary: “A team bonding exercise on this type of setting would mean a cuddle pile,” Keith pointed out with a hint of a smile on his face, highly aware of the diversion. “This,” he mimicked Shiro's earlier gesture by shrugging his arms too. “Is just you.”Humming thoughtfully, Shiro began running his hand up and down his back. “One-on-one exercise then.”“I can take it.”





	You

**Author's Note:**

> Since everyone is writing angst after s3, I thought of doing something, well, lighter even if it's not by that much. Plus s3 was........wild lmao but I enjoyed it and can't wait for s4 later in october!

The universe had a peculiar way of being beautiful to the human eye when it was easy to forget the vastness it possessed, how stars floated in heaps of reds and pinks that one might think a reach of an arm would allow us to touch such beauty.

That wasn't how it worked, as much how Keith thought their current problem couldn't be solved until he knew how to find the real Shiro, who was snatched away from his hold with only a snap of his fingers _._

 _His_ Shiro, his mind supplied ruefully, running his hand down the curve of the clone’s spine as he snuggled into Keith’s embrace, hungry for touches the moment Keith allowed himself to be wrapped into the bound of strong arms.

Because God knew that a clone adopting the same memories of the man who suffered through a year of endless pain wouldn't be enough, where he could remember the blows of Shiro’s attacks as much as he could feel the wounds the man suffered throughout his life. Keith wondered the type of lengths the Galra did to get their hands on everything they see that wasn't in their control, and just how much this Shiro would know what the real Shiro would feel.

“A direct hit,” he had admitted with a wince, unnerving Keith more when the clone propped his hands on his hips. “I may be preserved in a pod, but what he felt could still be transmitted to the microchip they planted in my head, along with his own nerves and brain tissues. A scientific version of telepathy, probably, and like a sponge, I'll soak everything up for me to be more life-like.”

Keith felt something cold dropping to his feet at the reminder that cruelty had no bounds when the determination that came with it was locked into place, because while the body standing in front of him wore the same face as the man he cared deeply about, he wasn't him. And even though his voice sounded like Shiro, Keith had already figured out long ago he wasn't _him._

But for the moment, where Keith had drawn himself tighter to battle against the raging grief inside him, Shiro softened his look for him until Keith felt the aching urge to just accept everything there was.

He couldn’t let that happen, not when the real Shiro might be out there alive and waiting for him.

The clarity of knowing what was real and what was not sent another pang of tearing pain across his chest at that familiar look.

There was a shift in his arms that made Keith peered down, where grey eyes blinked back at him almost innocently, heavy with curiosity as he studied Keith under the low lights of his room. Keith let the little movements of his fingers stop entirely, and stayed perfectly still from where he was being scrutinised.

Silence stretched longer before those eyes flickered away, as if ashamed at what he had done. “You're thinking about him, aren't you?” Shiro murmured softly, and Keith felt his breath hitching the slightest bit at easily being read at.

“Yeah,” he said, letting the same hand run through the short hair at the back of Shiro's head, making Keith feel the small breath of content brushing against the hollow of his throat. “and you too.”

“About how you’re stuck with the watered down version, huh?” Came a wry droll, and Keith couldn’t help the humoured smile from quirking up.

“No,” he replied meaningfully, continuing his little ministrations as Shiro settled under his chin again. At the same time, he realised he missed the buzz cut. “Just that you don't deserve any of this.”

Keith thought Shiro had fallen asleep by just how long he hadn't said anything, but there was movement where he seemed to deflate with a sigh. “You don't have to wreck your head over this,” he began softly. “I'm already here, there's no turning back from this mistake unless you kill me or just leave me behind.”

“Don't say that,” Keith warned him with his palm pressed against his nape. “You're still you, you’re your own person.”

“You mean I'm a copy of the real person you want,” Shiro retaliated, and his arms felt almost lifeless around him. “If he's with the Galra like you suspected in the beginning, the only solution for that is you have to switch us up since there would still be hardly any difference. Best part is, if I turn into the evil twin, I'd rather let him kill me for trying to be like him.”

“You're worse than him when you're miserable and self-sacrificing,” Keith commented dryly, causing a short bark of laughter to escape from the man in his arms. “What if I don’t want you to be killed? Is that gonna stop you?”

The question was loaded enough for Shiro to stiffen, but his voice wasn't as affected when he simply said, “Which is why I didn't ask you to do it in the first place.”

Keith felt his brows furrowed. “Why?”

“Attachment issues.” Keith managed to force himself from flinching. “I'm trying to prevent that.”

“And yet, you're here cuddling,” came his biting response, and Keith felt the way Shiro grimaced against his neck - Keith figured it was more towards the truth of his response rather than the tone in it. “How is this helping you ‘preventing’ it?”

“I'm being selfish here, Keith.” Shiro lifted his head up to meet his gaze again, and the sincerity that glowed in it caused Keith to stare back. “The only time anyone ever touched me was when they wanted to cut me open or throw me into the pod, I wanted to know how it feels to be held at.” He moved his linked arms into a half shrug that Keith was able to feel them brushing his sides. “I promise I won't do it again after this.”

Keith didn't know how to reply at that, not when he was missing Shiro's touches as well. When the door of his room open to reveal the sheepish look on Shiro's face, Keith hadn't thought of anything else and instead led him in by the wrist, pulling both of them into bed where they easily settled themselves into a familiar position. They did nothing else and just laid there, breathing quietly into the room until Keith allowed his thoughts to roam free.

“You’re experimenting,” he said instead, not breaking eye contact. “You wanted to know how the human touch felt like.”

No guilt existed in Shiro's eyes when there was a small twist of his lips. “Just once.”

“I don’t believe myself on that.” Keith confessed.

Shiro cocked his head to the side. “While I don't mind this team bonding exercise, I’m more worried of you being conflicted later.”

“A team bonding exercise on this type of setting would mean a cuddle pile,” Keith pointed out with a hint of a smile on his face, highly aware of the diversion. “This,” he mimicked Shiro's earlier gesture by shrugging his arms too. “Is just you.”

Humming thoughtfully, Shiro began running his hand up and down his back. “One-on-one exercise then.”

“I can take it.”

His assurance struck an odd nerve somehow, because the hand on his back froze, where Shiro shot him almost a pained look. “Can you?”

Keith gave a weak chuckle. “You have to learn to have some faith in me, Shiro.”

“The real Shiro believed in you,” the clone reminded him. “I'm a watered down version, remember? There are some things I don’t have that he has, and some things he feels that I can't. I blame Haggar for trying to duplicate a complex being.”

Something grating rolled violently in his throat as Keith tore his eyes away from his piercing honesty. Shiro had always been more open with his emotions when it came to Keith, but there was something almost raw with this, pure and unfiltered truth that some would consider a few times to tell anyone even if it was close friends. The unbashful simplicity in just informing someone how they deeply felt was rather frightening.

“Like I said,” Keith said softly. “You're your own person.”

Shiro stayed quiet at that, and Keith let his forehead fall on the crown of his head with a quiet sigh falling from his lips.


End file.
